Nurses - Thoughts please !

[Babyroobs]

I am a band 5 Nurse working vey part time ( 15 hours) in a Unit which is funded by a charity and partly NHS funded. I am towards the top of my band, I think maybe one increment form top band 5. I am not there very often, I work 5 long shifts ( days or nights) per 4 week rota.
Management have brought in a new rule whereby all the band 5 nurses have to take a turn at being in charge of the unit at weekends/ evenings, and also sometimes during a dayshift in the absence of more senior staff.
This involves holding the phone and giving specialist advise to patients/ carers in the whole county and other health care professionals for example from cottage hospitals and in the community, dealing with staffing issues when people ring in sick, taking charge if there was a fire, co-ordinating admissions etc. We are quite an isolated unit in that we are not attached to a big hospital or part of a trust, very little security,. At night time there is not even a dr or medical back up on site, they are on call and come in from home if needed. We have patients on complex ranges of medications , often confused , agitated and sometimes violent.
I'll be honest I do not want the responsibility of taking charge of this unit. I suffer from anxiety and am just about coping with managing a team of patients on each shift without this responsibility on top.
There is nothing in my job description about doing this role ( I have been there some years). Can employers just add throw additional responsibilities like this into the role.
I'm sure I can do the extra role but just know I am going to be dreading it even more than I already dread going to work ! I don't even mind dropping to a lower step on the band 5 if it means I don't have to do this. Should I ask my employer if I can do this ?
I can see myself just resigning over this and going onto the nurse bank where this responsibility definitely wouldn't be expected.
I do this job alongside another 3 day a week job and tis employer have generally been really good with letting me fit my shifts around my other job.
I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts on what to do and the best way to handle this. Do I really have nay choice? has anyone else been in a similar situation ? Thanks in advance for any advice.

If this is a change to your terms and conditions you need to speak to hr.. i would also call the rcn or any other union you are in and also get advice from the nmc, you should only work within your capabilities. Being an experienced band 5 is not the same as being a band 6 or 7.

Who normally has these responsibilities. You sound very anxious about these proposals.

These responsibilities sound more Band 6 then 5 imo. Has this been discussed with staff side/unions. Sounds like management on the cheap to me but that's the way health and social care is and has been for nearly a decade. If it's not in your JD you can argue it's not a reasonable modification to your role. Get rcn/union support

Hmmm. Surely this is an upper band 6 or band 7 role, not band 5.

They're trying to dish out responsibility without actually having to pay the going rate.

Dig out your job description and contract, then speak to HR and your union.

Agree. You need to feel confident and have the training and support these days to do any healthcare job,

Just say no if it isnt in your contract..

If you’re expected to do something that you’re not trained for, you have an obligation under the code of conduct to refuse. Do a formal letter to management quoting the NMC Code of Conduct.

I think if you're not comfortable with it whether it is outside your role or not you should let them know. I think that it sounds like they're cutting corners. I was a band 5 and I wouldn't of been happy with this either. Btw I used to work as a bank nurse and I was also asked to be in charge of a ward. I think they just try to take the :::@£

I agree with pons and have refused to take on tasks for similar reasons in the past. Stand your ground if your not comfortable with it. I certainly wouldn't be risking my pin, put something in writing at the very least.

Do read your contract carefully, are you specifically employed as a band 5 or a RN? Read what your job description is and what your responsibilites are, is there anything in there about taking charge of the unit in the absence of the manager. Is there usually always a 6 or 7 on duty at the moment. Don't agree to take on anything you are not comfortable with or are not trained to do as others have said.

I am a band 5 nurse working at a stand alone inpatient unit for patients with mental health needs, mostly detained under the mental health act. We are expected to take sole charge of the unit when the band 6 and band 7 ward manager are absent. This means that I am in charge every single night shift, bank holiday, weekend, evening and other times when they are in meetings, leave, training etc. I have to manage support workers, deliver supervision, allocate staff to patients, sort out filling the rota when staff call in sick, make decisions, etc
Our band 5s have always had this level of responsibility. I hate it and also have anxiety. I think employers can add things to your job role depending on contract but I'm not too sure about this.

Steak, do you have someone on call who you can ring if you have an emergency or if you need to go off sick?

It sounds like an excellent idea to get all experienced Band 5s to take turns at being in charge, in case there's a sudden outbreak of D&V or a heavy snowfall or something and you have to do it for the first time on your own.

Why not share your worries with your manager and ask if you can shadow someone else doing it first.

I'd be very surprised if taking occasional charge of a shift isn't in your job description.It's in the job description of the Band 5s at my Trust.

This seems normal for most b5 roles, at least in a hospital there is always someone more senior around. In the community you feel very isolated and unsupported.

Sauvignon- Yes I wouldn't mind if it was just taking charge of a ward, I was doing that a few weeks after being qualified. it's more the fact that it's taking charge of the whole unit with no back up ( like a duty manager that you would get in a large hospital ), very little security etc. I will ask about the shadowing that its a good suggestion.

There isn't even a Dr on site at night and we are the specialist advice hot line for the whole county. Maybe I am being unreasonable or maybe it's just nerves getting the better of me and a lack of confidence.

Get the union involved, I think taking on some additional responsibilities in exceptional circumstances is one thing (and a useful opportunity for people who want experience for career progression), but being expected to to it regularly requires a new job evaluation and potentially rebanding. They are taking the piss!!!

So who is doing these all these extra-type duties at the moment and providing cover and advice and what band are they?

Definitely run it past your union and get someone to look over the contract with you! If it's part private/part nhs are your roles defined by the agenda for change job roles/levels?

Are,you expected to care for patients as well as running the unit and how many other reg, nurses would be on duty.